Dr. Jeffrey Lombard is a medical specialist in urology (urinary tract disease). Patients gave him an average rating of 3.0 stars out of 5. These areas are among Dr. Lombard's clinical interests: diabetes, laparoscopic radical prostatectomy, and cryotherapy. His professional affiliations include BayCare Alliant Hospital, Largo Medical Center - Indian Rocks Road Campus, and Mease Countryside Hospital. Blue Cross Blue Shield EPO, Blue Cross Blue Shield Bronze, and Blue Cross Blue Shield HMO are among the insurance carriers that Dr. Lombard accepts. He obtained his medical school training at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and performed his residency at Penn State Hershey Medical Center.

Dr. Mitchell Klavans is a specialist in urology (urinary tract disease). Areas of expertise for Dr. Klavans include bladder cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate), and erectile dysfunction (impotence). He has a 3.0 out of 5 star average patient rating. Dr. Klavans takes several insurance carriers, including Blue Cross Blue Shield EPO, Blue Cross Blue Shield Bronze, and Blue Cross Blue Shield HMO. After completing medical school at Eastern Virginia Medical School, Dr. Klavans performed his residency at Boston Medical Center and a hospital affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania. He has received the distinction of Florida Super Doctors 2009 - Gulf Coast Edition. His professional affiliations include BayCare Physician Partners and Morton Plant Hospital.

An oncologist is a physician who is concerned with the treatment of tumors and cancers. Cancer is when cells in the human body grow in an abnormal or out-of-control way. The goal of oncology is to cure a patient’s cancer, or, if the cancer is incurable, to control the cancer and reduce the symptoms for as long as possible.

Oncologists have several roles in their interaction with patients. They diagnose cancer and determine what stage the cancer is in, or to what extent the cancer has grown. They explain the diagnosis and stage to the patient, and they recommend treatment and deliver care. During treatment, oncologists are responsible for maintaining quality of life for their patients by reducing pain and side effects from medications.

There are three main types of oncologists:

Medical Oncologists specialize in the use of medications, especially chemotherapy, to kill cancer cells. In some areas, the term “medical oncologist” refers to the oncologist who is overall in charge of making decisions about a patient’s treatment.

Surgical Oncologists specialize in surgical treatments for cancer, such as biopsies (where small tissue samples are taken and examined), or surgical removal of tumors and surrounding tissue.

Radiation Oncologists specialize in the use of radiation (a kind of high powered x-ray) to kill cancer.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology also recognizes the subspecialties of Gynecological Oncology, which focuses on cancers of the female reproductive tract, and Pediatric Oncology, which deals with cancers that are most common in childhood.

In the United States, nearly one-half of all men and one-third of all women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetimes. It is an unfortunately common disease that can sometimes be life-threatening. Oncologists provide care to millions of people facing that diagnosis every year.

The specialty of urology focuses on the structures of the body that produce urine and remove it from the body, such as the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. Since related structures in men are responsible for both reproduction and the transportation of urine, urologists specialize in men’s sexual health in addition to disorders of the urinary tract. Urologists treat both men and women, as well as patients ranging in age from newborn to elderly.

Certain urologic conditions are specific to male or female patients. Women are especially prone to stress incontinence, recurrent urinary tract infections, interstitial cystitis (a condition causing pain in the bladder), and urethral diverticuli (a structural issue where a small pouch develops from the urethra into the vagina). Some of these conditions may be adequately treated by a gynecologist, but patients may prefer to see a urologist because of their expertise in the urinary tract system. As for men, male infertility and sexual problems can be treated by a urologist. For example, urologists treat erectile dysfunction with medications or prosthetics. They may also perform surgeries such as vasectomies or vasectomy reversals.

Some other conditions that urologists treat include:

Kidney stones, which are mineral deposits that can form anywhere in the urinary tract. The stones can be quite painful, and some large stones may be impossible to expel naturally. Fortunately, kidney stone treatments have advanced quite a bit in recent years, and a urologist may recommend a procedure such as shockwave lithotripsy (where sound waves are used to break down the stones), or percutaneous extraction (where telescopic tools are inserted through tiny incisions in the back to remove the stones). There can be some pain associated with these treatments, but they are far less invasive than the older methods of removal.

Urinary tract infections, which are extremely common. However, if they happen over and over again, there may be an underlying problem within the urinary tract.

Congenital abnormalities, which refers to problems that are present at birth. Congenital abnormalities affect the genitourinary tract more often than any other system of the body, and they range from mild to severe in appearance and effect. The most common abnormality (in male infants) is cryptorchidism, where a testicle does not descend from the body down into the scrotum. Another common problem is hypospadias, where the opening of the urethra appears on the underside of the penis.

Renal disease, which is the loss of kidney function. For patients with renal disease, their urologist may be their primary surgeon or a coordinating member of their care team.

Tumors and malignancies, which are especially common in the case of prostate cancer. Urologists are most often consultants to oncologists in these cases.

The American Urological Association recognizes seven subspecialties of urology:

Pediatric Urology, the treatment of genitourinary tract disorders in children and infants

Urologic Oncology, the treatment of cancers within the genitourinary tract

Renal Transplantation, the treatment of severe kidney disease by replacing a non-functioning kidney with a donor kidney

Male Infertility, the treatment of infertility due to problems with sperm, semen, or male sexuality

Calculi, the treatment of kidney stones

Female Urology, the care of women’s urinary health

Neurourology, the treatment of urinary disorders caused by problems with the nervous system. For example, certain voiding disorders happen when the bladder does not receive signals appropriately, and erectile dysfunction is sometimes due to nerve loss.

Urinary and sexual problems can be especially distressing for many people. Fortunately, urologists are experts at managing these health conditions.

Radiation oncologists are physicians who are specially trained in the safe use of radiation to treat cancer. Usually, they will manage a patient’s entire radiation treatment, from the imaging that will guide decisions, to the choices about what kind of radiation therapy to use.

Radiation is one of the few substances that can kill cancer cells and even shrink tumors. It does this by damaging DNA. When DNA becomes sufficiently damaged, cells can no longer reproduce, and they stop growing and die. Cancer cells are more susceptible to radiation than healthy tissue, because they reproduce faster. So typically, cancer cells exposed to radiation will be affected faster than healthy cells will. However it’s still important to protect healthy tissue as much as possible.

There are three ways that radiation can be delivered to the body. It can come from outside the body, delivered by a machine in much the same way x-rays are taken. This is called external-beam radiation. Sometimes the radiation is delivered internally, which is called brachytherapy. Tiny pellets of radioactive material are placed directly onto the cancer, where they can release radiation for a period of time. Some cancers are best treated systemically, with radioactive substances that travel through the bloodstream. Radiation oncologists decide which type of radiation therapy is best, developing a treatment plan for each patient that maximizes the benefits of the radiation while minimizing the risk to any healthy tissue.

Radiation oncologists may work with other kinds of physicians, such as medical oncologists or surgeons, to treat their patients. Sometimes patients are anxious about radiation therapy because it sounds dangerous. But radiation therapy won’t turn you radioactive. It’s safe, and so effective against many different types of cancer that it is one of the most common cancer treatments. Depending on the treatment, it may not even have noticeable side effects.

Radiation oncologists can be important allies in your fight against cancer.

Hematology is a medical specialty that focuses on diseases of the blood, bone marrow, and lymphatic system. Blood flows to every cell in our body and is extremely important to our survival. Problems with the production of blood cells or cancers that affect the blood can be very dangerous. Hematologists treat these and other diseases, such as:

Anemia, a low level of red blood cells

Low levels of white blood cells or platelets

Bleeding disorders, such as hemophilia

Clotting disorders, such as deep vein thrombosis

Cancers of the blood, such as leukemia and lymphoma

To diagnose a blood disorder, hematologists may look at the blood under a microscope in a procedure called a blood smear. They may order a lab test of the blood called a complete blood count. This test measures the levels of red and white blood cells, platelets, and hemoglobin in your blood. They may do lab tests to measure the levels of proteins in your blood needed for bleeding and clotting. They may even do a bone marrow biopsy to check a small sample of bone marrow for problems in how blood is being produced.

A hematologist may work with all kinds of patients. Specialized hematologists called pediatric hematologists work only with children. All hematologists work to diagnose disease and prescribe treatments in order to care for their patients. They also work with general practice physicians, pediatricians, oncologists, transplant specialists, and others to guide treatment. Healing any problems with your blood is the first step towards your whole body feeling better.